> That said, if RubyGems normalized the directory structures, numbering
> schemes, etc of the upstream sources, it *could* become the input format
> of choice for repackagers...
>
This is actually what I had in mind. Especially finding places where
people rely on, for example, __FILE__ hacks that make it hard for
everyone. I'm optimistic that a focused effort with enough feedback to
the original developers could result in a behavioral shift in at least a
decent number of them. My guess is that in most cases, developers that
release packages with this kind of problem do so because they didn't
really consider them to be a problem (as opposed to having done these
things intentionally).
Chad